Star Wars: Echoes of the Past
by Deviant1166
Summary: When a mining operation discovers a force-user on an uncharted planet, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine both take an interest in discovering the true nature of a stranded girl and her droid. Set four years BBY.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Ilaynia Seogoro & HU-12**

HU 12 watched the girl, as he had watched her for the past sixteen years. He watched her skin the yellow-furred hide. He watched her carve the flesh of the Ka'taparr'i from it's bones. He watched her filet the meat into portions - some she would cook tonight, and the rest she would submerge in the azure preserving liquid, the sap from the enormous Fshwama trees which surrounded the small house, the storage shed and the Iki pens. He watched her start the fire in the pit and set the rotisserie. He watched, and he remembered, as he always did.

Sixteen years ago they had arrived here together, only then there were more than just the two of them. The girl's parents and uncle had been here, barely clinging to the thread of life. After the crash only HU 12 and the girl had remained unscathed. A cruel fate that the girl would be left without the company of other living, sentient beings at such a young age. To her it seemed like a lifetime ago that she'd watched her family die one by one. To HU 12, whose memory banks were as refined now as they were back then, it all could have occurred seconds earlier.

"This may be the largest Ka'taparr'i I've ever caught, H," said the girl as she fastened the meat to the rotisserie. "It's a shame you can't eat."

She had been only two years old when the ship had crashed on this planet. HU 12, an altered design of assassin droid with protocol droid programming, had taught her many things. How to communicate, to read and write, to cook and bathe herself. HU 12 also taught her how to kill. For the girl, killing Ka'taparr'i and a variety of other native fauna was a necessity for survival. For HU 12, it was part of his purpose.

"You may be right, Ilaynia Seogoro," HU 12 said.

She poked at the coals with a long stick for a bit, then began to slowly turn the rotisserie's handle as she did so. The glow of the flames lit her long face, their reflection shimmering in the pupils of her emerald eyes. Her skin was tanned and her features rough from living amongst the elements for so long, but she was a pretty girl - at least, HU 12 thought, for a human. Her hair was like her mother's, dark brown, long, thick. But she had her father's pointed nose and strong jawline.

"They migrate early this season," Ilaynia said sourly. "Soon it will be ikee for several months. Several bland, tasteless months no matter how much their meat may be peppered."

The night was silent around them, as it often was. This area was abundant with harmless creatures, mostly herbivores, during the daylight hours, but at night even the birds took to rest. Only rarely did a nocturnal rodent or somesuch thing creep amidst the undergrowth, but never a predator or any animal worth hunting. With the four moons and the billions of stars up above, nights on U-X0311L was quite a serene setting. One could only hope to be stranded in a place such as this uncharted world. In many ways Ilaynia had been fortunate. And equally less fortuned.

HU 12 remained ever vigilant nontheless. His past as an assassin, a soldier and later, to the infant Ilaynia, a bodyguard combined with his inherent programming kept him ever alert. Ever waiting. Ever yearning for a fight.

_Keep her safe_, the words remained etched in his being. Less than a thought, more a direct order - his last - given by Ilaynia's father shortly before his heart ceased. His masters had died within two days of each other, and Ilaynia - by right, if not by that final order - inherited the faithful droid.

"Play it for me, H," Ilaynia said with a weak smile.

"As you wish, little one," the droid replied.

A small panel in the battered red framework of the droid's chassis slid aside, revealing a hologram projector. After a few flickers of blue light the projector came to life and displayed the image of a man and woman, each draped in hooded robes. The images were motionless, the expressions on their faces untelling. These were Aroc and Eme Seogoro. Ilaynia's parents.

Sitting cross legged, Ilaynia began to prepare her dinner under the lifeless gaze of her long-dead parents.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

**Ilaynia Seogoro & HU-12**

The night was silent and still, with only the occasional ramii mating call from the canopy high above. The birds were relatively quiet, remaining out of sight and mind throughout the year until the spring when their mating began. Even then, they were barely a nuisance. Ilaynia had grown accustomed to their wailing through these months and though once, as a small child, she had been unable to sleep through the night now, as an adult, she slept undisturbed. Ramii mating season or not, the nights were never a time for resting as far as HU-12 was concerned. The droid didn't require sleep of course, and remained vigilant over their home, wrist blasters up and ready to fire. This was instinct through programming of course, to protect his master's family, but over the years it had become a bit more than that. As far as his processors allowed, HU-12 was able to be quite an adaptive droid. So adaptive, in fact, that all those years ago he had come to not only establish Ilaynia as his master but in some ways his own kin. She was his life as much as he her own.

Abundant with life, their new planet had never failed to deliver a wide variety of flora and fauna. Even now Ilaynia and HU-12 were still coming across new species of both quite frequently. Fortunately, no life form on the planet had so far presented itself as a threat. Sure, the hounds could be viciously territorial at times, but they mostly kept to themselves. While the hounds tended to roam in packs, finding one or two on their own was not uncommon and therefore provided Ilaynia a safer means of hunting without attracting too much attention. If anything, their lives were rather mundane, following a tedious and seemingly endless routine. HU-12 appreciated that Ilaynia was safe and would remain so, yet a part of him nearly yearned for a chance to fulfill what programming remained used - his combat skills.

The droid's sensor pods flickered red light as they spotted movement in the underbrush edging the clearing and adjusted, zooming in and providing comprehensive information on its source in less than a second. Four mice were scurrying about, clumsily bumping into each other as they searched for food. One of them peered up at the rust-colored droid with its large pink eyes. HU-12 watched them move closer to the camp, calculating their route. They would come upon Ilaynia's shelter in fourteen minutes if they continued on their current path. Without moving, the droid's red eyes switched to a brilliant white and shone down upon the rodents. Startled, all four scattered away toward the trees.

_Beep-eep-eep._

_Beep-eep-eep._

Something was beeping within him, and though HU-12 had not heard the sound or its purpose for many years he instantly recognized its meaning. Tilting back his head, he watched the starry skies intently. Sensor pods switching back to red, they flickered while zooming and performing scans.

_Beep-eep-eep._

HU-12 targeted his gaze toward the largest of the planet's three moons. Before he saw the ship, he knew it was there and approaching fast. A light cruiser, perhaps, or a large scout by the sensor readings. Minimal weaponry. A highly unusual amount of sensor arrays and various survey device emplacements on the hull. Life sign readings reported forty-three onboard. The transponder signal was alien to him, not matching records in his databanks. That was to be expected, given the length of time it had been since he had last encountered a starship. Of course, this ship could very well be of an origin completely unknown to him. Not that it mattered. Whoever or whatever, this was a potentially dangerous arrival.

The ship was breaching the atmosphere of the planet, casting fiery colors against the blackness of the night sky. A shimmering cloud had formed behind it and trailed the vessel like the tail of a comet. On its current trajectory, the ship would pass far above them before reaching its final destination. For HU-12, the risk was too high to be present when it came that close. Although it would be perfectly logical to assume the ship had already spotted their encampment, the droid had no intention of being present when its crew came to investigate.

As HU-12 turned toward Ilaynia's small cylindrical shelter, about to call her name, a sonic boom tore through the night. Ramii screeched at ear-piercing volume and flooded the sky, fleeing from the canopy. A scream of nearly equal muster came from Ilaynia.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Ispa Harr, Javin G'duul, Azeal Dupra**_

_Director Ispa Harr stared at the reflection of her own blue eyes in the glass overlooking the planet below. Their trip had been long and quite boring, as this assignment would be, no doubt. Four weeks ago she had been overseeing the mining operations on several Core Worlds for the Frontier Mining Corporation. Despite its name, the company no longer solely dealt in far and away mining. Since the rise of the Galactic Empire the FMC had absorbed or moved in on the territory of many of their competition, recently transforming it into one of the top civilian mining corporations in the galaxy. Some would say the FMC had expanded too greatly, too quickly. There were struggles, corrupt leaders, a few criminal dealings here and there, but they were no different than those problems in other companies. _

_While the Empire had been using its slaves and failures to support its own militarized Mining Corps, civilian outfits were still often used to sate the appetite of the galactic beast. The Empire's military was vast and growing exponentially day by day. All manners of resource-collecting had been utilized to support its fleets. Problem was, a government contract usually left mining companies feeling more than a little screwed over. Especially when it came to the Galactic Empire. You couldn't really say no or demand more than what could be offered in terms of payment, security or expected conditions, but one could only grin and bare the suffering._

_The lucky ones got to stay in the Core to supplement the Mining Corps. Ispa was not one of the lucky ones. The Empire expected the FMC to live up to its name and begin mining on a remote world only recently charted and scouted for potential gain. The benefits included an Imperial escort and garrison, food and better tools and supplies than most of the employees were used to working with and the credit bonus Ispa would receive for commanding a potentially dangerous operation for the glory of the Empire. It was a great honor, her superiors had told her, and they had every confidence in her ability to lead her people in the Outer Rim, even though she had never actually been out of the Core once in her life._

_An uninhabited world, far from known pirate space, with tepid weather throughout the year and no recorded flora or fauna capable of posing much of a threat might have seemed ideal for anyone other than Ispa Harr. Ispa Harr, who had worked on government contract jobs for the Republic during the Clone Wars; who had led an operation when the Hutts had sought the skills of the FMC because few other companies would even bother dealing with them; who had survived the cataclysm on Kijib IV; would not find this hidden paradise ideal._

_She turned from the view of the forest canopy at the sound of footsteps from behind. The Kajain'sa'Nikto Security Chief, Javin G'duul had entered the bridge with a young Nautolan in tow whom she did not recognize. The Cloud Seeker_'s crew were all unfamiliar places to Ispa Harr, having been assigned to her - along with the ship - for this very special government contract. Her former station had been given to an old, fat slob who claimed to be a descendant of a Jedi.

"Director Harr," the Nikto nodded. His eyes looked strained and weary beneath his horns. "Now that we're here - finally - I'd like to get my men off this ship as soon as possible and begin securing the landing site."

For a Nikto warrior like Javin G'duul, this time of 'galactic peace' was about as joyful a thing as the current assignment was doomed to be for all of them. Ispa didn't blame him for wanting to run from the hatch as soon as they set down topside. Her body was screaming to do exactly the same.

"Of course," said Ispa. "The reconnaissance droids were dispatched before we entered the atmosphere. Their data should be streaming to our systems as we speak for your viewing."

"The Imperials remain in orbit?" It was a question to which he already knew the answer, but Ispa understood why he asked.

"Don't worry," Ispa smirked. "They won't be stepping on your toes. Not on the surface, anyhow." She thought of the Stormtroopers garrisoned aboard the Imperial cruiser orbiting the planet. "Unfortunately, I highly doubt they will have need to even try. This planet likely lacks adventure of any sort."

While his chief spoke with the Director, Azeal Dupra's gaze drifted toward the front viewport. It was night on this side of the world, but the moons above gave an ample and equally eerie glow to the landscape. Beyond the dense forest's canopy he saw the shadows of mountains fading away into the night. Birds were scattering around the ship, some of them colliding with the windows of the bridge. No one seemed to notice except him. 

Another strange bird soundlessly struck the forward viewport, bursting into a shower of feathers. Seconds later, two more simultaneously made contact. Azeal's tentacles twitched slightly, tingling with the sensations of fear and confusion they sensed from the creatures in their last moments.

"Dupra?" called a voice the Nautolan did not hear.

More and more of the birds flocked to the skies, arcing upward and away in all directions in response to the ship's intrusion to their habitat. Azeal watched the birds apathetically, understanding they had never before experienced a starship - much less anything sentient-made. Prior to the current operation he had never visited an untouched world.

"Dupra!" Chief G'duul shouted.

Azeal's attention snapped away from the world beyond the glass and he realized how close he was now standing to the front viewport. While watching the birds, he had unconsciously traveled halfway across the bridge. 

"Time to go," G'duul said.

"Yes, sir," Azeal nodded, tentacles still restless.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Ilaynia Seogoro, HU-12, Azeal Dupra & Javin G'duul**

"Ilaynia Seogoro!"

Ignoring the droid, Ilaynia pressed on through the undergrowth with practiced ease. The roar of the ship's engines overhead had passed, leaving only a rain of leaves and crushed ramii in its wake. The white glow of the vessel's sub lights had faded into the night beyond the trees but lingering ambiance against the night sky betrayed its location and continued trajectory.

A ship! Ilaynia had never thought this day would come. For so long she had prayed someone - anyone - from the life she had been meant to live would appear on this lonely, distant world. Her heart burned with excitement and curiosity, but fear too. What would they look like? What would she say to them? What if they turned her away?

"Ilaynia Seogoro!" HU-12's hollow, mechanical voice was barely audible over the cacophony of ramii calls and the crunching of leaves, twigs and pine needles beneath Ilaynia's footfalls.

She was breathing hard, her sides aching when she finally stopped running. The glow of the atmospheric engines had descended into a familiar clearing not far ahead. Ilaynia knew the spot as a popular grazing ground for deer and smaller animals during the spring and summer months. The clearing, set beneath rolling hills leading toward the mountains, was big enough for at least six of the ships she had seen, she guessed, not counting the space occupied by a wide pond to the east.

Cautiously, Ilaynia moved toward the edge of the clearing. Her breathing still came heavily and her heart thundered in her chest. More than excitement now, she was afraid. Something in the back of her mind was screaming for her to run away, while in the moment of the ship's arrival she had been urged on to discover the nature of her world's intruder.

Pressing herself against the trunk of a great oak, Ilaynia fought to steady her breathing as she watched and waited.

The ship had a crescent-shaped bridge protruding from a bulbous body beneath. Most of the ship was bare, unpolished metal, with only a hint of green and brown paint displaying the name _Cloud Seeker_ on both the port and starboard sides. Landing pylons kept the vessel raised about twenty meters from the ground, leaving for ample space to lower several lifts and access hatches. As these doors began to open across the hull, the ship almost appeared to transform into a building.

Six towers rose hundreds of meters into the air from the top of the _Cloud Seeker _just behind the bridge. Once fully erected, these towers began to blow brightly, illuminating the perimeter of the new campsite.

Ilaynia gasped and shielded herself behind the massive tree. It took her several minutes to work up the courage to peer around the trunk. Her eyes widened at what unfolded before her.

Hatches opened on each side of the ship and wide ramps stretched to the grass below. Platforms lowered from the ship's underbelly, each holding racks of speeder bikes and various supplies. Hundreds of fist-sized probe droids appeared from within some of the hatches and immediately set off into the sky and surrounding woods like swarms of bees.

Finally, humanoid beings of various shapes, sizes and colors came into the light down each of the ramps. Some wore yellow uniforms and carried cylindrical and square storage bins. Others wore blue uniforms and brought with them a wide assortment of devices that Ilaynia could not possibly recognize. Only one ramp served men and women wearing uniforms of a single color. Their yellow uniforms were armored, unlike the others'. And they were armed with rifles and side-arms.

"Ilaynia Seogoro, you must get away from there," came HU-12's hollow, metallic voice. The droid came up beside her, at first paying no attention to what Ilaynia was witnessing beyond the trees.

"T-Twelve?" Ilaynia barely managed to whisper his name. "What is happening?"

The droid reached out for her upper arm, but Ilaynia shrugged him away.

"I want to see!" she whispered, her voice trembling as much as her hands and breath.

Chief Javin G'duul led his twenty-five-strong security force down the port-side ramp, Senior Officer Azeal Dupra by his side. The science teams and engineers had wasted no time rushing down to begin setting up their equipment and tents in their new command site. The entire crew had grown entirely too restless aboard the _Cloud Seeker_. Space was not their calling. Here, on the surface of a world rich with resources, they felt at home. This was their calling. Their art.

"We will secure the perimeter, fifty meters out in every direction from the clearing's edge," G'duul told his men. "Havrook, Po'lon, you two will take speeders and begin the first patrol shift. Go." Without question, the two young Klatooinian officers jogged toward the platforms.

The Chief led them to several specially marked crates brought down by the ship's crewmen. "Grab your supplies, the rest of you. I want the cameras and auto-turrets operational in no more than two hours."

Azeal reached for one of the crate security keypads, but Chief G'duul stopped him.

"Not you, Dupra," he said. "You're my best scout."

"Sir?" Azeal asked.

Keeping his voice low, G'duul moved close to the Nautolan as he spoke. "I need you to check out something for me." The chief offered a data pad. "As we entered the atmosphere I noted some strange residual energy readings nearby. Nothing I forsee to be of any danger, but worth exploring."

Taking the data pad, Azeal noted the map displayed on its screen. The energy signature was not far from their landing site and barely read on sensors. If anything, Azeal figured, he would find nothing more than a damaged recon droid from earlier expeditions to survey this world.

"Its probably nothing," G'duul reiterated, "but enjoy the chance to stretch your legs beyond camp before we're all stuck supervising the slaves in the mines."

"What are those?" Ilaynia asked the droid.

"Speeder bikes," HU-12 answered promptly. "We must now return to camp, Ilaynia Seogoro. It is dangerous to remain here."

Frowning, she looked back to her old friend. "Dangerous? Twelve, this is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me!"

"Ilaynia Seogoro, it pains me to remind you, but there is much of the universe you have been denied experiencing," HU-12 told her. "One must be cautious of others. There are a great many things that could bring your person to great injury or even death with little effort or cause for reason."

"Nonsense! Is this not something we've always dreamed of?"

"I do not dream, Ilaynia Seogoro."

She turned back toward the clearing just in time to see the two speeder bikes dart off into the night. "Well I do."

Again, the droid reached for her arm. "I beg you, return home with me now. We must prepare to relocate immediately to avoid detection."

"Twelve!" Ilaynia pulled away, shaking her head. "I want to speak with them."

As Ilaynia moved to enact her desire, HU-12 did not hesitate to release a burst of electricity after the girl, emanating from his right wrist's weapons emplacement. The droid caught her before her unconscious form hit the ground. Carrying her across his arms, HU-12 began the return to their home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Temurek Axani**

The Outer Rim. Wild Space. The countless insignificant or uncharted, unclaimed or long ago abandoned worlds. It had all started to look the same to Temurek Axani. Once, his life had been serving the Republic; protecting it from within and without, keeping the peace, upholding the law. Though it had been just over a decade ago since that time had passed the man's memories seemed to recognize nothing but the current way of the galaxy. The life he once led seemed not his own, but of a book he'd read or a story he'd been told.

Temurek's crimson blade made contact with the pink blade of the Twi'lek's own light saber. The battle had begun four minutes ago when Axani had finally tracked down Karora Lon, a Jedi hiding on Presbalin deep in the Gordian Reach. She had been a Jedi Knight in the Clone Wars, fighting alongside many of his own friends and mentors. None of that mattered now. Blame it on fate, blame it on the Force, they had gone their own way and now they had been reunited as enemies.

"I don't understand _why_, Master Axani!" Karora Lon gasped. Her body was trembling, sweat beaded down her lekku. Her green skin glistened in the sabers' light. "I don't understand _how_!"

The Twi'lek spun away from Temurek and held her blade out in front of her. The marketplace around them had been abandoned when the fighting had begun. Only a few unfortunate souls had been caught in the cross-fire. Except for the hum of their light sabers and Karora's labored breathing, all was silent.

"For one such as you to fall to the dark side!" Karora continued. "I would have never thought it possible, Temurek."

"Dark side!" he spat the phrase. "Sith! Judgements!"

Their blades struck again with a brilliant flare of light. When the Twi'lek moved to kick him, Temurek knocked her from her feet with the Force and made a downward arc with his blade to finish her, but Karora would not die so easily. Clay vases and plasteel crates launched at Temurek under the Twi'lek's control. Though the Dark Jedi easily repelled and dodged, the display had bought his prey more time.

"This is what has become of the galaxy!" Temurek shouted. When the debris had finally settled around him, Karora Lon. His voice sounded pained and perhaps a bit shaken. "Destiny! Fate! _The Force_, Jedi Knight!" He was practically screaming now. The rage within him was growing, the dark side of the Force throbbing around him and lashing out in thick ropes of energy that made Karora's skin crawl. "One must surrender to the will of the Force, no?"

Letting out a roar, Temurek dashed toward her. He swung his blade with unpredictable, wild, _strong _strokes from every direction. Karora fought to maintain her footing while deflecting his blows, but the Dark Jedi was too strong and too fueled by anger. Temurek had always been stronger and a more superior duelist. This was a fight she simply could not win.

By the power of the Force, Karora began to send barrels and trinkets of the market vendors' flying toward Temurek. He swatted them away, some with the Force and others with his lightsaber, but still he pressed toward her.

"It pains me to see you this way," said Karora. "To see so much _this way_, but the Light shall endure. The choices we make today have power over the future, Temurek. Please! Allow me to help you and together we can help the rest of the Jedi!"

He stopped and smiled at her, then deactivated his blade. Karora watched him, unsure, and then took the chance. The Twi'lek deactivated her own lightsaber and swallowed hard. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The Dark Side seemed to growl at her like a mad dog even as Temurek himself remained silent.

Finally, he said, "Do you know what the Jedi can never seem to accomplish? It's a simple thing, truly…"

Before she could answer, a dagger connected with her spine. Temurek had willed it there with the Force, she realized, and she had played into his trap. She had given him a chance to speak, but he had only been toying with her.

"We all do what we must, Lon," Temurek hissed. "The path I have chosen ensures my longevity - for the time being. It suits the current circumstance in which the galaxy now finds itself."

As he spoke, Karora Lon fell to her knees and gasped and spasmed. Blood had completely soaked the back of her robes and was now dripping to the packed dirt of the market's road. She felt him - she felt the Dark Side - feeding off of her pain and the sense of victory Temurek now felt. The tears in her eyes were not because of the pain, however, but caused by a terrible, sudden sense of hopelessness. Would the galaxy forever be consumed by this madness?

Temurek kicked her in the throat with his boot, causing her to topple over. She was dead before she hit the ground.


End file.
